Blazers Frontcourt plays great in loss to Mavericks

The Portland Trail Blazers gave Dallas Mavericks an early Christmas present Monday night, a 132-108 victory for Dallas, in which the Blazers did not compete after halftime. It was Portland’s second straight blowout in Texas, something typical of the season.

Luka Doncic led the Mavericks with 27 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists. Deni Avdija led Portland with 19, 6 and 3.

Here are a few of the factors that stood out from the game.

Lane Help early

The Blazers have been mixed on defense the past few weeks, but tonight they showed a willingness to help each other out on the court, at least in the early parts of the night. This was as true when Deandre Ayton manned the middle as it was with the more defensively-suited Donovan Clingan. The center was still the backstop in Portland’s scheme, but the Blazers threw at least one wing, plus often a guard, into the lane on Dallas penetration. The many bodies helped keep the Mavericks’ attempts hesitant. This made all of Portland look better than advertised on defense. Avdija and Scoot Henderson seemed particularly attentive.

I’d be lying if I said the spirit lasted throughout the game. The Mavericks finished with 64 points in the paint. Center Daniel Gafford looked like Joel Embiid, shooting 7-7 from the floor en route to 23 points, in part because of Portland’s poor center defense. But the first quarter was at least a tantalizing glimpse of what this team could be.

Turnover

The Blazers trailed 62-53 at halftime, not great but not a disaster. They started turning the ball over in the third period and were outscored 40-23 in that frame. It doomed any faint comeback hopes. Portland finished with 19 turnovers for the game.

Scoot confidence

The Mavericks fielded the best two point guards in the matchup in Doncic and Kyrie Irving, but Scoot Henderson seemed to ignore his relative lack of experience and name and go hard on his colleagues as if he had never heard of them.

That moxie led Scoot to 7 points in the first period and 14 for the game along with 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 turnovers. It wasn’t a hall-of-fame outing, but at least there’s a pulse.

Deni jumps back

After a tough game against the Spurs on Saturday, Deni Avidka bounced back with 19 points on 6-11 shooting with 6 rebounds and 3 assists. Avdija looked good running the offense, mostly because he threatened to call his own number and kept Dallas defenders honest and on him. When they weren’t looking closely at him, he drove and scored. When they did, he passed well. He also hit his threes, which helped spread the floor. Avdija’s good play makes the Blazers’ offense run that much more smoothly.

Deandre Ayton

Whatever mixed feelings Blazers fans have about Deandre Ayton, he looks pretty good out there sometimes. That was true tonight, especially in the first half. His mid-range jumper was clean, making him a lethal scoring threat. Defensive talk is negotiable, but scoring in the middle of the floor certainly makes the Blazers’ offense look more potent. Ayton finished with 16 points on 8-11 shooting with 9 rebounds and 2 steals.

Rebounds

Looking on the sunny side of things in the middle of a blowout, Portland had 16 offensive rebounds in this game. Ayton delivered 4. Avdija and Toumani Camara matched him with 4 each. At least something went right? Yay.

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Box score

The Blazers will resume play right after Christmas, facing Utah Jazz at 7:00 p.m., Pacific Thursday, December 26.